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Frogface
Frogface was an imp, a powerful supernatural trickster, summoned from the demon worlds and commanded by Soulcatcher. Standing 2 feet tall but with normal adult proportions, he was secretly planted as a mole within the Black Company and served as an excellent ally for much of Shadow Games. Ultimately, however, he was Soulcatcher's most effective instrument in her plot to bring heartbreak and misery to her hated sister, Lady. Among Frogface's many magic talents was: the ability to disappear and materialize in a new location in an instant; the power to cleanse poison from human blood; and the capacity to understand and translate apparently any language. But, despite his many abilities, he was "forbidden to take life" under any circumstances. This unexplained stricture exceeded even Soulcatcher's control over him. He considered the word "demon" to be an ethnic slur, and insisted he be referred to as an imp. Smoke, a wizard who was superior to One-Eye in talent, skill, and training, confided that he could neither control nor summon such an entity as Frogface. Additionally, Smoke stated Frogface could be "10,000" years of age; extreme age was a common characteristic of other known demons. ''Shadow Games'' Planted by Soulcatcher Soulcatcher secretly planted Frogface in a wizard's shop in a bazaar north of the Third Cataract of the great river. His appearance was made to look like a shrunken version of Goblin, a minor wizard in the Black Company with whom One-Eye was eternally butting heads. As predicted, this opportunity to embarrass Goblin was irresistible, and One-Eye purchased the imp. Following Soulcatcher's orders, Frogface feigned to be commanded by One-Eye, and was now a source of endless humiliation for Goblin. Both aid and mischief In the service of the Company, Frogface was very useful, serving as a translator and spy when the Company descended south to Taglios. When the Taglian court wizard Smoke encountered Frogface, he was frightened, and soon reported to the royal siblings and their advisors: Frogface sowed some measure of mischief in the Company ranks, leading to a fight between Frogface and Goblin's own snake imp. This resulted in a dangerous, drunken duel between One-Eye and Goblin, which only ended when Croaker knocked out both wizards with his officer's baton. Croaker surmised that Frogface's true allegiance was to someone else, even before it was confirmed, but could do nothing about it. But, he incorrectly guessed the imp belonged to Shapeshifter. At the Battle of Dejagore Frogface performed important reconnaissance for the Black Company during the Battle of Dejagore. He spied on the occupiers loyal to Stormshadow within the walls of the city, and then assisted a strike force in opening the gate, to permit armed former prisoners to rush in and liberate the city. The next day, however, during the disastrous final clash of the battle, Frogface was nowhere to be found. Lady surmised that he could be used to slice through the enemy army to great effect, but was frustrated and confused that he was missing from the melee. She did not yet realize that the imp was in the service of her sister. ''Dreams of Steel'' True allegiance exposed Frogface's mistress Soulcatcher abducted the surgeon Croaker from the battlefield outside Dejagore. After Croaker recovered from his arrow wound, Frogface appeared, and assisted him in reattaching Soulcatcher's head to her neck. He confided to Croaker that Soulcatcher could sentence him to an eternity of torment with just one word, and says that mortals "have it easy" because, unlike imps, their torments were temporary and ended at death. Rehabilitating Soulcatcher at Overlook While Soulcatcher was masquerading as her sister Lady, she was kidnapped by the Howler, who did not realize he grabbed the wrong Senjak sister. It took Frogface five days to locate his incapacitated mistress. She had been delivered to Longshadow at Overlook, which was unsettling even for Frogface. Despite being a middling sorcerer among humans, Longshadow was widely dreaded in the demon worlds by Frogface and others like him. After genuinely considering abandoning her there, the imp decided otherwise, and took the risk of rescuing her. He made his way through Overlook, materialized in her cell, removed some of Soulcatcher's blood, purified it of the sorcery drugging her mind, and restored it to her veins. Now at her full power, she ordered Frogface to go prevent Croaker from reuniting with Lady. Frogface was disappointed to still be bound to her, especially when he did not have to return and rescue her in the first place. But Soulcatcher assured him that she would grant him his freedom very soon. He departed enthusiastically, and soon destroyed a key bridge over the Main, keeping Lady and her husband apart for months. Versus the shadow at New Dhar Soulcatcher, having escaped Overlook with the help of another demon and on foot, reunited with Frogface later in a field outside New Dhar. She knew that Longshadow was sending a gigantic killing shadow to dispatch her, so she had Frogface assist her in one final task before she would set him free. Frogface took her appearance, and materialized one new spot after another for several hours, luring the shadow. It could kill Frogface if it caught him, but he would be safe if he kept ahead of it, which he could do indefinitely if he remained alert. The shadow, though immensely dangerous, was a mindless entity and simply kept persisting. Frogface lured it to places where it would kill and terrify key populations within the city, as part of Soulcatcher's plan to cause anti-Shadowmaster sentiment in New Dhar to boil over. They finally trapped it in the governor's vault, which Catcher had specially prepared beforehand. Frogface was greatly amused by their last mission, but reminded his mistress that he had business in his "own world" to attend to. They departed together, "laughing like children". Catcher presumably released Frogface to return to his world as she had promised once they reached the city limits. Category:Characters Category:Demons Category:Allies of the Black Company